A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency on October 2, 2019 shows Iranian President Hassan Rohani chairing a cabinet meeting in Tehran. North African countries have generally enjoyed closer relations due to limited historical connection between them and Iran. In 2014, the Israeli Knesset passed a law mandating that November 30 would be the Day to Commemorate the Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran. Arab people live in the Arab world made up of 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa including Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine and more. The Islamic Republic was subsequently proclaimed after Ayatollah Khomeini excluded all liberal forces who had dreamed of a new Iran with a modern constitution inspired from the struggles of all civil society forces for a civilised civil state. No. There is no need to enumerate everything Iran has done in the past 40 years. So it has become: Iran breaks it, but Arabs own it. Note: In 2018, The CIA World Factbook stated that Iran's ethnic groups are Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen and Turkic tribes. The CIA World Factbook no longer provides percentage breakdowns of Iran's ethnic groups. Views differ even within the UAE; Dubai has historically had close trading relations with Iran. The capital city of Iran is Tehran while Baghdad serves as the seat of centralized power in Iraq. List of countries by past and future population provide 1950, 2000 and 2050 population while the future population (United Nations, medium fertility variant)]] provides 2100 population [citation needed]]. The Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries, or Jewish exodus from Arab countries, was the departure, flight, expulsion, evacuation and migration of 850,000 Jews, primarily of Sephardi and Mizrahi background, from Arab countries and the Muslim world, mainly from 1948 to the early 1970s.The last major migration wave took place from Iran in 1979–80, as a consequence of the Iranian Revolution. Although Iran borders Iraq, it originated in the Persian Empire and has a different language and cultural history from Arab countries. The funny thing about this kind of talk is that it is meant for Iranian domestic consumption, that’s all. Although they differ in ethnic identity (Iran is predominantly Persian, while Sudan is Afro-Arab) and denomination (the two nations are Muslim, but the former is mainly Shi'a, while the latter is Sunni), Iran and Sudan have a common strategic bond with both the People's Republic of China and Russia, and a common animosity towards the United States. Persians, because of their background and Zoroastrian past developed a different culture from Arab counterpart. All rights reserved. Most of those who took to the streets to get rid of the shah's regime were dreaming that their country would someday be a model for the other countries of the region, a modern state in touch with all that is civilised in the world. This, however, does not mean that it is Saudi Arabia that must change its behaviour as much as it means that it is up to Iran first to know that beating around the bush will get it nowhere. A cognate of “aryan,” Iran means “land of the Aryans” and is excluded from the list of Arab … Generally, “Persia” today refers to Iran because the country formed over the center of the ancient Persian empire and the majority of its original citizens inhabited that land. There are no other questions to debate for the moment than that one. For decades, the kingdom provided Lebanon and the Lebanese with nothing but good deeds. Curses on the Jews”? This is the first peace agreement between Israel and an Arab country in 26 years. Rulers of the Persian Empire: Expansionism of Cyrus and Darius, Saudi Arabia and the Syrian Uprising Explained, B.S., Criminology, California State University Fresno, 53 percent of Iranians speak Persian or a Persian dialect, 18 percent speak Turkic and Turkic dialects, Arab people live in the Arab world made up of 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa including Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine and more. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani condemned this week’s agreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, saying in a heated speech Saturday that the UAE made a “huge mistake.” Within the Middle East, historical conflicts have always coloured neighbouring Arab countries' perceptions about Iran. While Islam is the dominant religion, other countries in the Arab group follow other religions. Most of Arabs are in the Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait and people of these countries are just Arabic-speaking: Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt and many other north African countries; People of Israel, speaks Hebrew; People of Turkey, speaks Turkish and People of Iran speaks Persian. Thus, Iran is used in the context of political discussion, while both Iran and Persia are used in cultural context. The Comoros Islands, Djibouti and Somalia are included in the Arab world. In 2015, the CIA World Factbook provided the following percentage breakdown of languages in Iran:. While all are citizens of Iran are Iranians, only some can identify their lineage in Persia. The religious establishment birthed a repressive state that believes only in “exporting the revolution,” a state with a regime that cannot survive without displacing its own internal crises beyond its borders. During the 1980s, Arab countries sought to contain Iran through its war with Iraq, and then in the 1990s through the U.S. policy of “dual containment” of both Baghdad and Tehran. © 2015-2020 The Arab Weekly. Persians live in Iran to the Indus River of Pakistan and to Turkey in the west. Some scholars even think the number is closer to one million. That fateful day was a turning point on every level in the region. Each of the Gulf countries has long viewed Iran through slightly different prisms. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Is Saudi Arabia the one that sabotaged Lebanon and turned it into a semi-pariah country suffering from a severe economic crisis it had never before experienced? What ended up happening was the opposite of that dream. It departs from a reality of more than 40 years, dating to when a popular revolution in Iran overthrew the shah's regime. Lebanon remains a perfect example of the difference between Iran and Saudi Arabia. “The World Factbook: Iran.” Central Intelligence Agency, 1 Feb. 2018. It was an American armoured vehicle that took to the heart of Baghdad the leaders of the Iraqi sectarian militias from Iran, not Saudi Arabia, on April 9, 2003. The 1979 revolution in Iran sharpened the sense of threat in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, home to significant Shiite communities. "Persia" was the official name of Iran in the Western world prior to 1935 when the country and vast surrounding lands were known as Persia (derived from the ancient kingdom of Parsa and the Persian empire). Israel, on the other hand, has gained tacit acceptance by the ruling elites in Arab states more so than their societies. Iran is not an Arab country. Thus, a person could be one without being the other. … Iran has deliberately assaulted any country it could reach, either directly or indirectly, for no reason other than to tear the region apart and play the role of the dominant regional power. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Ancient Sources on Persian or Iranian History, Iran Hostage Crisis: Events, Causes, and Aftermath. of course not.Iran is completely different from Arab countries.peo[le in Iran speak Persian & Turkish & some other dialect.while Arabs speak Arabic. Was Saudi Arabia the one that has promoted sectarian cleansing in Iraq? The trend lines in Iran in many ways are the opposite of the trend lines in the Arab world. During the 1980s, Arab countries sought to contain Iran through its war with Iraq, and then in the 1990s through the U.S. policy of “dual containment” of both Baghdad and Tehran. Persians, because of their background and Zoroastrian past developed a different culture from Arab counterpart. The fact is that the heart of the problem is the regime’s behaviour in the Middle East, the Gulf and beyond. Worse, most often the responsibility for finding solutions following Iran’s actions is shifted to the leading Arab countries. However, Persian people within their country have long called it Iran (often spelled Eran). Persians are not Arabs. All of this presents an environment that is more favorable to an Israeli strike than it's ever been before. Even though the main religion in Iran is the Shia Islam, there are a few smaller religious groups: The Arab world as a whole, as I said, is absorbed by what's happening internally, and the Gulf countries are more concerned about Iran's possible role in their domestic affairs. Saudi Arabia and Iran - two powerful neighbours - are locked in a fierce struggle for regional dominance. For decades, the kingdom provided Lebanon and the Lebanese with nothing but good deeds. Why can’t the Iranian regime go straight to the heart of its problems with its Arab neighbours? (The “Arab world,” which refers to Arab-majority states in western Asia and various parts of Africa, consists of 22 countries.) However, it is important to remember that not all Arabs are Muslims in the same way that not all Muslims are Arabs. In the Arab world, the dominant language is Arabic, although in some countries within the group, other languages such as French are spoken. Iran, unlike Israel, is more accepted by the Arab public, and in fact it enjoys much more influence. Saudi Arabia and Iran - two powerful neighbours - are locked in a fierce struggle for regional dominance. Geographically, the two regions differ in more aspects than just their shared border. What Language They Speak Their populations differ proportionally, too. The dominant language in Iran is Farsi, not Arabic, although other languages are spoken there as well. Was it Saudi Arabia that tried to politicise the Muslim pilgrimage and turn it into a demonstration with slogans of the type: “Death to America. "We do believe that Hezbollah's control over Lebanon's decision-making has led the country to a lot of sanctions and isolation from its historical friends such as the Arab countries… Death to Israel. The Iranian spokesman said Saudi Arabia had sent messages to Iranian President Hassan Rohani via leaders of other countries. She is a senior fellow specializing in terrorism analysis at the Haym Salomon Center. Was Saudi Arabia the one that has promoted sectarian militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Bahrain? People who identify as Persian account for the majority, but there are also large numbers of Azeri, Gilaki and Kurdish people, too. In the Arab world, power is going from being centralized to being quite diffuse, but in Iran, the trend lines over the last decade or two have been the opposite: power was much more factionalized and diffuse. Persians live in Iran to the Indus River of Pakistan and to. Citizens weren't called Persian after the revolution of 1979, during which the country’s monarchy was deposed and an Islamic Republic government was put in place. Arab people live in the Arab world made up of 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa including Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine and more. (AFP). Even though the main religion in Iran is the Shia Islam, there are a few smaller religious groups: RIYADH: Hard on the heels of his visit to Saudi Arabia, Elliott Abrams, US special representative for Iran and Venezuela, has called for greater cooperation among Middle East countries … Iran, unlike Israel, is more accepted by the Arab public, and in fact it enjoys much more influence. To our knowledge, no Arab country, except for Iraq, has attacked Iran. Persians do a lot of Islamic rituals differently! Aside from this meaningless talk, for which Iran has no evidence to back it, would it be possible for the Iranian regime to come up with one thing that Saudi Arabia had done to it for the world to ask the Saudi kingdom to “change its behaviour” in the region? Arabs live in many countries across the Middle East. Despite recent Iranian attacks on Saudi oil installations, Saudi Arabia still favours political solutions with Iran. In the eyes of many of the Arab countries in the Middle East, Iran is a disruptive and difficult power to deal with. Some people draw a distinction in that Persian relates to a particular ethnicity, and being Iranian is a claim to a certain nationality. The decades-old feud between them is … The Israeli government on Thursday urged its citizens to avoid travel to the United Arab Emirates and ... represents a different type of challenge. On the other hand, Iran has worked, and continues to work tirelessly, to change the nature of Lebanese society and the role of Lebanon in the region, pushing it away from all that is Arab, after succeeding in changing the nature of the Shia community in the country. In 2014, the Israeli Knesset passed a law mandating that Nov. 30 would be the Day to Commemorate the Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran. Arabs speak Arabic; Persians speak Iranian languages and dialects. “If Saudi Arabia is really seeking a change in behaviour, then Iran would welcome it,” said the Iranian spokesman. Although Iran borders Iraq, it originated in the Persian Empire and has a different language and cultural history from Arab countries. The Jewish refugees from Arab countries issue remains an unresolved one, even though international law and U.N. resolutions mandate a redress. Yayha and several Arab political analysts and commentators said that Erdogan "has a project of hegemony and influence that resembles Iran's project in its end, although they differ … Israel, on the other hand, has gained tacit acceptance by the ruling elites in Arab states more so than their societies. Lebanon remains a perfect example of the difference between Iran and Saudi Arabia. It was the day of the rebirth of the project of “exporting the revolution,” thanks to the expediency of US President George W. Bush. But Iran’s goals are no different from those of other countries: it seeks to preserve its territorial integrity and secure its borders, ensure long-term development, and expand ties with other countries. The dominant language in Iran is Farsi, not Arabic, although other languages are spoken there as well. No one has attacked it in 40 years, yet Tehran has not spared any Arab state, from the ocean to the Gulf, and sought to interfere in its internal affairs. But explaining why Iran isn’t an Arab country requires the answer to the first. Iran ranks 18th largest country in the world at 636,000 square miles while Iraq ranks 58th at 169,000 square miles. Modern Iran is comprised of a large number of different ethnic and tribal groups. Note: In 2018, The CIA World Factbook stated that Iran's languages are Persian Farsi, Azeri and other Turkic dialects, Kurdish, Gilaki and Mazandarani, Luri, Balochi, and Arabic. The CIA World Factbook no longer provides percentage breakdowns of Iran's languages. The terms “Persian” and “Iranian” don’t necessarily mean the same thing. Khairallah Khairallah is a Lebanese writer. It is Persian. Arabs trace their ancestry to the original inhabitants of tribes of Arabia from the Syrian Desert and Arabian Peninsula; Persians are a part of the Iranian inhabitants. The decades-old feud between them is … It is rather the opposite that is true. The king, who was considered to be the last Persian monarch and had attempted to modernize the country, fled the country in exile. Has Saudi Arabia participated in the war on the Syrian people and contributed to the displacement of the largest number of Syrians based on sectarian criteria and with the clear aim of protecting a 49-year-old minority regime that believes only in oppressing and depriving Syrian citizens of their freedoms and dignity? The terms Iranian and Persian are often used interchangeably to describe people from Iran, and some people think they mean the same thing, but is one term correct? There are 3 Country in the world that their formal language is Persian: … Persians are not Arabs. Arab League–Iran relations refer to political, economic and cultural relations between the mostly Shia Persian country of Iran and the mostly Sunni and Arab organization Arab League. The US sanctions are beginning to strongly affect Iranians but the regime is still able to and persists in circumventing them, albeit narrowly. But explaining why Iran isn’t an Arab country requires the answer to the first. Biden’s Middle East policy would only differ from Trump on Iran and Turkey. What Is the Difference Between Iran and Iraq? JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli government on Thursday urged its citizens to avoid travel to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, citing threats of Iranian attacks. In 2014, the Israeli Knesset passed a law mandating that Nov. 30 would be the Day to Commemorate the Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran. Given its location in the Middle East, Muslim majority, and language which resembles Arabic, Iran is often mislabeled as an Arab nation. More than 100 organizations and communities have signed up thus far for the “Kaddish Initiative” slated for Nov. 28, the date of the Shabbat closest to Nov. 30, which the State of Israel legislated in 2014 as the official “Day to Commemorate the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from Arab Countries and Iran.” Can this Islamic Republic change its behaviour? Persians live in Iran to the Indus River of Pakistan and to Turkey in the west. That active partner was Iran. The latest twist in the Iranian charade was a statement released by a semi-official Iranian news agency and attributed to a spokesman for the Iranian government. What Are the Countries That Make up the Arab States? 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